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| Newly elected ORCSD Board Members Matt Bacon and Heather Smith |
Congratulations to Matt Bacon of Madbury and Heather Smith of Durham, both elected to at-large seats with three year terms on the Oyster River School Board. They replace venerable members Tom Newkirk and Al Howland, both of whom chose not to seek reelection after 10 years of service on the board.
It was a hotly contested race with five well qualified candidates. There was record turnout of 3313 voters. Of the 4963 votes cast (each voter gets two votes but not everyone uses both) Bacon received 27.1% and Smith received 25.5%. Next was Giana Gelsey of Madbury with 19.8%, followed closely by Debra Harmon of Lee with 18% and Marie D'Agostino of Lee with 9%.
It appears about 72% of the voters were in Durham. Typically that number would be 55%-60%. That's estimated from the individual town turnout numbers, but there likely were some folks showing up for the Durham dam vote who didn't bother to vote for school board.
SCHOOL DISTRICT UNOFFICIAL RESULTS (Durham, Lee, and Madbury Combined Ballots from all three precincts.)
ARTICLE 1:
For Moderator (Vote for not more than one)
Richard Laughton 2530 ELECTED
Write-in 10
ARTICLE 2:
For School Board At-Large (Vote for not more than two)
Matthew Bacon 1343 27.1% ELECTED
Heather Smith 1268 25.5% ELECTED
Giana Gelsey 985 19.8%
Debra Harmon 893 18.0%
Marie Therese D'Agostino 449 9.0%
YES 2205 76.2% PASSED
NO 689 23.8%
All the school district ballot questions passed, including the budget with 76% voting YES, the negotiated contracts with the ORESPA and ORPaSS and the solar array fund set aside, for a total appropriation of $52.5M. The budget includes $130,000 for the new DEIJ coordinator position, one of the main issues in the race.
My analysis: Smith won by working the hardest, wanting it the most, and general excellence. Bacon won because he's the nicest guy in the room. Gelsey, the most progressive candidate and the candidate I most strongly endorsed, failed to win enough public support for her platform of challenging Concord's attacks on public education in the state. Harmon might have pulled it out, but her support was centered in Lee and she caught an unlucky break with the turnout in Durham. Former school board chair and school business administrator D'Agostino was the most qualified candidate, but couldn't overcome her lack of engagement with the district to date.
Bacon and Smith were both endorsed by school board chair Michael Williams, setting a questionable precedent in Oyster River. Member Cisneros got in the game as well, endorsing Harmon and D'Agostino.
In Lee, Rebecca Hawthorne beat incumbent Cary Brown 438 to 193, which is 69.4% versus 30.6%. All Lee ballot questions passed as well. Congratulations Rebecca; we're looking forward to great things.
[EDIT: I had a rant here about selectmen loitering in the polling place but it turns out they're either allowed or required to be there. I apologize for the accusation, selectmen. I still don't think elected folks whose names are on the ballot in contested races should be hanging around near the booths or the counting machine, even if they are legally permitted or obligated to be present in some capacity. Thanks to Michael Rury, who was kind enough to point out to me that under RSA 652:14 "selectman" is one of the officially designated election officers. In fact, Part 2 Article 32 of the NH constitution requires the selectboard to be present for state elections, and this is carried over to municipal elections as well. I still think there's something not right here that should be changed.]
In Durham the dam referendum failed by a three to one margin, meaning the dam will be removed per the initial town council decision. The dam controversy caused the disproportionate turnout in Durham, 2365 voters compared to the average of 1081.
Turnout in Lee was 709, 22% of registered voters, compared to 758 in 2021 and 1220 in 2020 (when the Middle School was on the ballot). Turnout is estimated at at least 221 voters in Madbury (maximum number to vote on any question) or at least 3313-2365-709=239, ORCSD minus Durham minus Lee.
[That 239 may be exact, if the turnout numbers include ORCSD ballots that were handed to a voter who didn't mark it at all, meaning every voter. Except I bet if you just returned your town absentee ballot and didn't return your school district absentee ballot, you're probably in the town turnout but not ORCSD's. If you returned both, even if one was blank, you're in both counts. Just guessing here.]
Please enjoy this spreadsheet summary of the recent district election history, followed by the detailed unofficial results for which I thank Todd Selig and Durham Friday Updates. I fixed a couple of minor errors and added the percentages myself.
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SCHOOL DISTRICT UNOFFICIAL RESULTS (Durham, Lee, and Madbury Combined Ballots from all three precincts.)
ARTICLE 1:
For Moderator (Vote for not more than one)
Richard Laughton 2530 ELECTED
Write-in 10
ARTICLE 2:
For School Board At-Large (Vote for not more than two)
Matthew Bacon 1343 27.1% ELECTED
Heather Smith 1268 25.5% ELECTED
Giana Gelsey 985 19.8%
Debra Harmon 893 18.0%
Marie Therese D'Agostino 449 9.0%
Write-in 25 0.5%
(Percentages of the 4963 total votes cast.)
ARTICLE 3:
Shall the District raise and appropriate as an operating budget, not including appropriations by special warrant article and other appropriations voted separately, the amount set forth on the budget posted with the warrant or as amended by vote of the first session, for the purposes set forth therein, totaling $52,133,325.
Should this article be defeated, the operating budget shall be $51,721,541 (Default Budget) which is the same as last year with certain adjustments required by previous action of the District or by law; or the District may hold one special meeting in accordance with RSA 40:13, X, and XVI to take up the issue of the revised operating budget only. The School Board recommends this appropriation. (Majority vote required)
Note: Fund 10 = $50,668,275 (regular operating budget); Fund 21 = $824,050 (expenditures from food service revenues); Fund 22 = $600,000 (expenditures from federal/special revenues); Fund 23 = $41,000 (expenditures from pass through funds).
(Percentages of the 4963 total votes cast.)
ARTICLE 3:
Shall the District raise and appropriate as an operating budget, not including appropriations by special warrant article and other appropriations voted separately, the amount set forth on the budget posted with the warrant or as amended by vote of the first session, for the purposes set forth therein, totaling $52,133,325.
Should this article be defeated, the operating budget shall be $51,721,541 (Default Budget) which is the same as last year with certain adjustments required by previous action of the District or by law; or the District may hold one special meeting in accordance with RSA 40:13, X, and XVI to take up the issue of the revised operating budget only. The School Board recommends this appropriation. (Majority vote required)
Note: Fund 10 = $50,668,275 (regular operating budget); Fund 21 = $824,050 (expenditures from food service revenues); Fund 22 = $600,000 (expenditures from federal/special revenues); Fund 23 = $41,000 (expenditures from pass through funds).
YES 2205 76.2% PASSED
NO 689 23.8%
ARTICLE 4:
Shall the District vote to approve within the provisions of New Hampshire RSA 273-A:3 the cost items included in the collective bargaining agreement reached between the Oyster River Educational Support Personnel Association and the Oyster River School Board which calls for the following increases in salaries and benefits at the current staffing levels:
2022 - 2023 $86,981
2023 - 2024 $75,527
2024 - 2025 $77,505
2025 - 2026 $81,588
and further to raise and appropriate the sum of $86,981 for the 2022-2023 fiscal year, such sum representing the additional costs attributable to the increases in salaries and benefits required by the new agreement over those that would be paid at current staffing levels? The School Board recommends this appropriation. (Majority vote required).
YES 2501 82.3% PASSED
NO 537 17.7%
ARTICLE 5:
Shall the District vote to approve within the provisions of New Hampshire RSA 273-A:3 the cost items included in the collective bargaining agreement reached between the Oyster River Para-Educators and Support Staff and the Oyster River School Board which calls for the following increases in salaries and benefits at the current staffing levels:
2022 - 2023 $183,009
2023 - 2024 $131,958
2024 - 2025 $136,126
2025 - 2026 $157,347
and further to raise and appropriate the sum of $183,009 for the 2022-2023 fiscal year, such sum representing the additional costs attributable to the increases in salaries and benefits required by the new agreement over those that would be paid at current staffing levels? The School Board recommends this appropriation. (Majority vote required).
YES 2481 81.6% PASSED
NO 559 18.4%
ARTICLE 6:
Shall the District vote to raise and appropriate the sum of $125,000 to be added to the Facilities Development, Maintenance, and Replacement Trust which was established in March of 2017. This sum to come from June 30 fund balance available for transfer on July 1. The School Board recommends this appropriation. (Majority vote required). No amounts to be raised from taxation.
YES 2509 83.2% PASSED
NO 508 16.8%
Shall the District vote to approve within the provisions of New Hampshire RSA 273-A:3 the cost items included in the collective bargaining agreement reached between the Oyster River Educational Support Personnel Association and the Oyster River School Board which calls for the following increases in salaries and benefits at the current staffing levels:
2022 - 2023 $86,981
2023 - 2024 $75,527
2024 - 2025 $77,505
2025 - 2026 $81,588
and further to raise and appropriate the sum of $86,981 for the 2022-2023 fiscal year, such sum representing the additional costs attributable to the increases in salaries and benefits required by the new agreement over those that would be paid at current staffing levels? The School Board recommends this appropriation. (Majority vote required).
YES 2501 82.3% PASSED
NO 537 17.7%
ARTICLE 5:
Shall the District vote to approve within the provisions of New Hampshire RSA 273-A:3 the cost items included in the collective bargaining agreement reached between the Oyster River Para-Educators and Support Staff and the Oyster River School Board which calls for the following increases in salaries and benefits at the current staffing levels:
2022 - 2023 $183,009
2023 - 2024 $131,958
2024 - 2025 $136,126
2025 - 2026 $157,347
and further to raise and appropriate the sum of $183,009 for the 2022-2023 fiscal year, such sum representing the additional costs attributable to the increases in salaries and benefits required by the new agreement over those that would be paid at current staffing levels? The School Board recommends this appropriation. (Majority vote required).
YES 2481 81.6% PASSED
NO 559 18.4%
ARTICLE 6:
Shall the District vote to raise and appropriate the sum of $125,000 to be added to the Facilities Development, Maintenance, and Replacement Trust which was established in March of 2017. This sum to come from June 30 fund balance available for transfer on July 1. The School Board recommends this appropriation. (Majority vote required). No amounts to be raised from taxation.
YES 2509 83.2% PASSED
NO 508 16.8%
Total ORCSD votes cast today: 3313
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